In August 2019, the state government cancelled the concession agreement for the Machilipatnam Port project with Navayuga Engineering Company Limited (NECL). The cancellation comes just five months after former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the deep sea port in February 2019.
Since its announcement, residents of Machilipatnam mandal in Krishna district had opposed acquisition of their land for the Machilipatnam Industrial Corridor that will support the Machilipatnam Port.
The port was part of the government’s plan to focus on port-led development. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the state government pushed to revive port development plans by leveraging its long coastline. The plan was to construct a deep sea port and an industrial corridor for port-based industries. In 2009, the NECL was awarded the concession agreement to develop the port on a 50-year basis.
For the industrial corridor, the government decided to acquire land under the state's land pooling scheme by issuing a notification in August 2015 for over 12,000 acres. A Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority (MUDA) was constituted in 2016 to implement the industrial corridor project.
This was followed by protests by farmers and fisherfolk. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the land acquisition notification. The protesting farmers said they were not against port development using the land that had already been acquired but was opposed to the government's bid to acquire more land in the name of developing ancillary industries. During a protest in 2016, two constables were injured after agitators attacked police personnel during a dharna against the land acquisition on National Highway No.214. The government withdrew the notification in June 2018.
In February 2020, the Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority, whose main task is to acquire land for the port and industrial corridor, was give jurisdiction over 12 mandals.
In 2022, the Machilipatnam port got CRZ clearance from National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management and the construction work formally began at Manginapudi in the Krishna district in 2023, with completion targeted for late 2025. Meanwhile, farmers in villages like Mulapeta and Vishnuchakram alleged crop damage as the construction activities began without the payment of compensation. Fisherfolk and salt pan workers have also expressed concern over livelihood loss due to dredging, pollution, and restricted coastal access.
In April 2024, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan pledged to complete the port and ensure job creation, revival of the Kalamkari industry, and support for the fishing economy. They criticised the previous government for failing to deliver on development and compensation. In Gannavaram Assembly segment, the issue of compensation to farmers for the land acquired for airport expansion is yet to be resolved.
As on April 2025, around 30% of the work had been completed, and all required permissions had been obtained. Meanwhile, Minister for Mines and Excise Kollu Ravindra announced that the construction of Machilipatnam port would be completed by December 2026. He added that export, import, logistics and other operations would begin immediately after the completion of Phase I. The first phase project cost with four berths is Rs5,155 crore. There is a provision to expand this to 16 berths as per the master plan.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Refusal to give up land for the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban and Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest, Non-Forest (Grazing Land), Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2023
Whether the Project has been Delayed
No
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Water bodies
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
11900
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
2013
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Central/State Government Policy
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Machilipatnam Area Development Authority (MADA)
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Navayuga Construction Company
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Local Farmers (mostly Kapus), fisherfolk (Pallekarulu), agricultural labourers (mostly Dalits and Other Backward Castes), tenant farmers, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers' Union, Citizens Rights Organisation, All India Kisan Sabha
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
